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The Identification of Lymphocyte-Like Cells and Lymphoid-Related Genes in Amphioxus Indicates the Twilight for the Emergency of Adaptive Immune System
- Source :
- PLoS ONE, PLoS ONE, Vol 2, Iss 2, p e206 (2007)
- Publication Year :
- 2007
- Publisher :
- Public Library of Science, 2007.
-
Abstract
- To seek evidence of a primitive adaptive immune system (AIS) before vertebrate, we examined whether lymphocytes or lymphocyte-like cells and the related molecules participating in the lymphocyte function existed in amphioxus. Anatomical analysis by electron microscopy revealed the presence of lymphocyte-like cells in gills, and these cells underwent morphological changes in response to microbial pathogens that are reminiscent of those of mammalian lymphocytes executing immune response to microbial challenge. In addition, a systematic comparative analysis of our cDNA database of amphioxus identified a large number of genes whose vertebrate counterparts are involved in lymphocyte function. Among these genes, several genes were found to be expressed in the vicinity of the lymphocyte-like cells by in situ hybridization and up-regulated after exposure to microbial pathogens. Our findings in the amphioxus indicate the twilight for the emergency of AIS before the invertebrate-vertebrate transition during evolution.
- Subjects :
- Gills
animal structures
DNA, Complementary
Lymphocyte
Genes, MHC Class II
Molecular Sequence Data
lcsh:Medicine
In situ hybridization
Biology
Adaptive Immunity
Evolutionary Biology/Developmental Evolution
Immune system
Chordata, Nonvertebrate
Complementary DNA
medicine
Animals
Amino Acid Sequence
Lymphocytes
RNA, Messenger
lcsh:Science
Gene
Conserved Sequence
Genetics
Regulation of gene expression
Expressed Sequence Tags
MHC class II
Multidisciplinary
Evolutionary Biology/Evolutionary and Comparative Genetics
Base Sequence
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
lcsh:R
Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs
Acquired immune system
Biological Evolution
Up-Regulation
medicine.anatomical_structure
Gene Expression Regulation
biology.protein
lcsh:Q
Genetics and Genomics/Genetics of the Immune System
Immunology/Genetics of the Immune System
Sequence Alignment
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 19326203
- Volume :
- 2
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- PLoS ONE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b4a0097d27b5fbb965fda00c66accb72